Chapter 2 - Naboo crisis

= place: Arcturus Station; Year 2212, 32 BBY =

Arcturus Station is located within the Arcturus System, the main shipyard of the Terran Federation. There is a shipyard for warships and many smaller civilian shipyards that produce dozens, if not hundreds, of different ships each year. After the first contact, the shipyards were greatly expanded to respond to the orders of the dozens of private shipping companies that emerged after discovering the huge market that was just waiting for them. Thanks to their different weapons, shields, drives and many others, they have become extremely popular on many planets. Naboo, which was the first to establish commercial contacts, has become the most important site in the Mid Rim and even the starting point for transportation to Core Worlds. For Naboo, it was also very profitable as many items began to flow out of and into Naboo. In just over a decade, the different Terran corporations took over more than a quarter of the Naboo contracts that previously belonged only to the Trade Federation. But that was the problem.

When the Free Trade Zone was finally taxed by the Republic, the Trade Federation launched the Naboo blockade. Many Terran companies have suffered greatly from this, not to mention the many ships and citizens trapped on the planet. Due to major expansion in this region, Terran companies have started to employ many Naboo citizens and have even established their own communities. Which meant hundreds of Terran citizens had been cut off from their families for months. The Senates of both the Galactic Republic and the Terran Federation had a long discussion on this subject. But there was little it could do. Naboo had to actively seek help from the Terran Federation or the Trade Federation must be accused of aggression. Otherwise, it must be the Republic, but their inaction was staggering. After a few months, negotiators were reportedly dispatched, but soon after their arrival, they lost their connection to the planet altogether. As a result, all Terran military command gathered at Arcturus Station. The president was to supervise the meeting and then pass the information on to the senate.

"We have to say it straight." - said Admiral Grissom, Commander in Chief of the Terran Star Navy - "Cutting off communications is the first step to an invasion. The Trade Federation has a fleet of 15 Lucrehulk-class battleships in orbit. A single one can carry over 300,000 battle droids, and if needed, this number can go up to a million. Naboo has only modest defense forces so it is highly likely that the capital city will be conquered in less than a week."

"So what are you suggesting?" - the president asked.

"It is obvious that we cannot send fleet there right away and have a great space battle. But we have to prepare for such an eventuality." - Grissom said.

"I would also advise mobilizing an army." - General Williams, Commander in Chief of the Ground Forces said - "But I don't think that's possible. We will need at least half of our ground forces to mobilize enough forces to repel 15 million battle droids, with both armored and aerial support."

"Worst-case scenario right away." - said Carolina Cadenzavna Eve, Commander of the Symphogear division and descendant of Maria Cadenzavna Eve. The current owner of Airgetlám.

"Always assume the worst-case scenario." - General Williams said.

"But it's a corporation, not the army." - Carolina said - "How many droids will be needed to quickly capture the capital and then occupy the rest of the planet? That it would be as economical as possible."

"In that case, I'd say at least a million droids with armor and air support." - General Williams said - "Although it would rather be 1.5 million to be safe. If we do add up that number, we will need at least 3 divisions, as a minimum, 6 to be safe."

One Terran division numbered 80,000 soldiers. All divisions were mechanized and had the latest generation of powered armor. The older ones have been hidden in a special place on Terra to be used when needed. Currently, the Terran Federation had 80 such divisions.

"And do we know what about the queen?" - the president asked.

"Unfortunately not." - one of the officers said.

"If forced to sign properly worded documents, they will be able to pretend the invasion is fully legal. How Russia, Austria and Prussia partitioned Poland in 1795." - the president said.

"So our hands are tied?" - Carolina asked.

"Our only chance is for the Queen to escape and go to Coruscant to seek help from the Galactic Senate. Then, with the consent of the senate and her, we will be able to start the operation to liberate the planet." - Grissom said.

"It will be hard to convince the senate, but I think they should agree to include a battle group in the near-term system so that it can react if necessary. What can you give me there right now?" - the president said.

"Our new ship and the first drone carrier, Enterprise, along with an escort of 4 heavy cruisers, 15 destroyers, and 32 frigates." - Grissom said - "We will outnumber them by almost 4:1, but our ships are much smaller than those of the Trade Federation, so I would say the odds are even though we never had to test it."

"And I was hoping we wouldn't have to." - the president said.

The Enterprise was a response to the increasingly aggressive actions of the Trade Federation and the surge in pirate attacks. Initially, they began building new Defiant-class corvettes, modeled after Star Trek's Defiant, and Homingberg-class corvettes, modeled after the Homingberg-type vessel from 'once upon a time space'. Both were to replace the aging Delta-class and were very effective at eliminating pirates. But a larger vessel was also introduced and a replacement for the Genova-class was being considered. Now it would be very useful.

= place: Coruscant =

After the Senate's very loud refusal to call for immediate help for Naboo and an even louder request for a vote of no confidence for the current Chancellor, Queen Naboo decided to take matters into her own hands and set out on her own planet.

They were about to board their ship, along with the rest of the guards, Jedi, and others, but suddenly a shuttle flew in and landed on the same platform. It was clearly a Terran project that Queen Amidala easily recognized as they fly very often around Theed.

"Hello Master Qui-Gon, Queen Padme Amidala." - said the person getting off the ferry. Her blue hair made her extremely distinctive, although in Terran such a hair color was not particularly unusual.

"Ms. Kayo Kazanari, shouldn't you protect Ambassador Anita Goyle." - Jinn greeted.

"I have a command to deliver a message to Queen Amidala today." - Kayo said.

"So what do you want to tell me?" - Padme asked.

"Our governments have a short but fruitful history of cooperation, many of our citizens live on Naboo." - Kayo began - "Unfortunately, the Trade Federation is threatening to destroy our relationships and the lives of our citizens. That's why our government has made a commitment to send support to Naboo if you so wish."

Padme was stunned for a moment, but quickly woke up and said - "Of course, I agree. Your coming will increase our chances of success."

"The Queen already has a plan, I can see." - Kayo said.

"I'll explain the details on the ship." - Padme said.

= place: Naboo system =

The first phase of the plan, getting Gungan to cooperate, went according to plan. A three-way attack had been prepared and was already on the move. The Gungans attacked numerous towns close to the water that were occupied by Trade Federation forces, while the main army marched straight onto Theed. The army was supported by several fighters that the Naboo resistance managed to seize. Their job was to destroy, or at least slowdown, another part of the droid army that was about to flank the Gungan army, and not allow the droids to gain air domination.

Meanwhile, the Resistance within Theed itself gathered all the vehicles and people they had on hand and launched a coordinated attack on the droid troops that remained in the city. Padme first led the starfighter pilots to help with the space combat that was about to begin.

Admiral Dresher stood on the bridge of the Enterprise, mentally preparing for battle. The fights against the pirate and the maneuvers were quite regular. But this will be the first real battle between real groups of fleets. Although the fact that sooner or later a conflict between the Terran Federation and the Trade Federation would arise was known to many analysts for many years. They were a new force in the galaxy, gaining dozens of new clients overnight, at the expense of many other corporations, mainly the Trade Federation.

"Ma'am, all ships are reporting readiness." - the tactical officer said.

"Begin the operation." - Dresher replied, and swiftly all the ships moved into Naboo's orbit.

The fleet jumped using Worm-Drives from a nearby system to a position some 50,000 kilometers from the position of the Trade Federation ships.

"Ma'am, we have a video call request from the Trade Federation fleet." - the communications officer said.

"Connect." - Dresher said, and a Neimoidian quickly appeared on the screen.

"This system is blocked by the Trade Federation." - the Neimoidian said - "You are to leave him immediately, or we will be forced to use force."

"I don't think you understand something." - Adrmiał Dresher said - "Terran Federation has been formally requested to provide humanitarian aid to the Naboo people and, if necessary, military aid. According to the evidence submitted by Queen Amidala, you have invaded and then illegally seized the property of our citizens, which is enough to upset us. But when we found out about the war crimes, we decided it was time to make the situation clear. If you don't surrender your ships that are illegally here in the next 30 seconds, give us all your war criminals, and order your troops on the planet to surrender, this fleet will force you to do so."

"We will never agree to it." - the Neimoidian replied.

"That's your final answer?" - Dresher asked.

"Yes." - the Neimoidian replied.

"So say hello to the consequences." - Dresher replied, then showed her hand to end communication and began issuing orders - "Send the first wave of drones and put them in a defensive position around the fleet. Heavy cruisers are to concentrate their energy lances on separate targets and then concentrate on a single ship. Destroyer groups A and B are to attack enemy ships on the left and right flanks, while group C is to prepare missiles for fighting fighters. Frigates are supposed to form a defensive formation in front of us and redirect energy to shields and engines. Let them shoot whenever they have the opportunity. Keep your distance, we have a greater range than the enemy and we will use it to the greatest possible extent."

And so the space battle began. The first volley of energy lances was devastating as the Trade Federation ships didn't manage to activate their shields. The beams fired by the Terran penetrated the command decks and effectively excluded these vehicles from combat. But the rocket volleys only came after the Trade Federation had activated their shields, so the damage that they inflicted was minimal. Shortly thereafter, 10 of the 11 active Trade Federation ships began to approach, launching fighters. The last one to be found in the rear was recognized as the Droid Control Ship, which was also the flagship of the Trade Federation fleet.

= place: fighter hangar, Theed, Naboo =

The space battle has just begun, and most of the Trade Federation fleet has gone to battle against the Terranes. Simultaneously, the pilots from the Naboo Royal Star Fighter Core began running toward their fighters to join the fight. There was only one goal for them - the Droid Control Ship. At the same time, the queen's group began the last and most important part of the plan - the capture of Nute Gunray. However, an unexpected figure stood in their way, dressed in a black coat, with red and black skin and horns.

"We'll take care of him." - Qui-Gon Jinn said.

"Wasn't job sometimes to protect the Queen?" - Kayo asked - "Better if I take care of him and you go with the queen."

"But it's the Sith Lord." - Obi-Wan told her.

"You worry too much." - Kayo said.

"She'll be fine, Obi-Wan. Trust me." - Qui-Gon said. He knows Kayo's strengths from their meeting earlier. The Queen ordered them to take the next path, and Kayo activated her Symphogear in preparation for the fight. At the same time, the Sith-Lord activated his lightsaber.

"Jedi are my target." - said the Sith - "If you step down now, I'll let you live."

"I come from a long lineage of the Defenders of Kazanari." - Kayo said - "If you think they will run away, you are wrong."

And the fight between the two warriors began.

= place: Naboo system =

The space combat has been going well for the Terran Star Navy so far. Capitalizing on their range and speed advantage, and extremely effective anti-aircraft systems, they were able to destroy another battleship and damage 4 others, while eliminating 30% of Neimoidian fighter droids. However, they had many more in reserve, and the protracted battle wasn't the best idea given the Gungan battles on the planet and the hostages. But truth be told, Dresher's best chance was with the Naboo fighters, which were currently targeting the under-defended Droid Control Ship.

"Sir, 2 enemy ships and a group of fighters have started to retreat towards the enemy flagship." - the tactical officer said.

"Send the 2nd and 3rd waves of drones after them." - Dresher said - "The 4th and 5th waves are to prepare for the attack. What losses of the first wave?"

"50% is still functional and the batteries will last one hour." - said the first officer.

"Okay." - Dresher said - "Location of damaged enemy ships?"

"One on our left flank and the other retreats." - the tactical officer said.

"Destroyer group B and heavy cruisers should concentrate their fire on enemy ships in the middle, destroyer group A should concentrate on the damaged ship on the left flank, group C should continue anti-fighter fire but concentrate in the middle, and frigates should strengthen anti-fighter fire on the flanks."

And that's how it happened. More rocket volleys flew to the left flank, eliminating another Battleship. The concentration of fire in the center of the enemy formation made a breach for the 2nd and 3rd wave of drones, which, despite the anti-fighter fire, managed to break through and strafe the retreating Neimoidian ships, which deactivated their main engines, which forced them to stop in space to avoid a collision with the planet. Reaching the destination with only auxiliary engines was possible, but it would take 3 times as long as normal. At the same time, the last Naboo fighter, which for some reason had arrived only now, joined the fight.

= place: Naboo Royal Palace =

"Forward!" - Padme shouted, they are attacking another droid blockade. As soon as they tried to climb to the next floor, they were stopped by a group of droids. Or at least they tried to stop them. The two Jedi in the front eliminated them in seconds without even slowing down, and the Naboo Royal Guard soldiers only ran after them, occasionally shooting down a droid here and there.

On the next floor, they reached the Nute Gunray, which seemed to be guarded by only a dozen ordinary droids. But the Jedi senses allowed them to see the trap of another 20 droids, including several droidekas, hiding in the corridor widening. With a long history of fighting together, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan instinctively knew what the other would do and made a simultaneous Force-Push that pushed all these droids against the walls with such force that they broke. Then, with the support of Naboo's troops, they quickly eliminated Vice-Roy's last bodyguards.

"Lock the door." - Captain Panaka said, and half of the soldiers quickly began blocking the door, while the other half, including himself, and the 2 Jedi guarded Vice-Roy and his assistant.

"Now, Vice-Roy, we will discuss the new treaty." - said Amidala.

= place: Great Grass Plains, Naboo =

The OOM-9 was a commander droid that successfully smashed all resistance on the planet to date. But now he had a problem with the Gungan Army. Their deflector shields meant that its fire advantage in the form of tanks was canceled out. Other troops were supposed to flank the Gungan armies but were intercepted by the remnants of Naboo's troops, which still had fighters. His superiority in numbers was very substantial, but the Gungans positioned themselves within the forest where their plasma bolls, spears, and shields were more effective. Other troops could not strengthen him because they fought in many other cities. And fighters from orbit were not available because of the battle.

"Retreat and regroup." - OOM-9 ordered. He still had a significant advantage in numbers over the assembled Gungan troops and intended to take advantage of it - "Place them behind the tanks and order them to attack again. Let them raze this forest to the ground."

The droid troops began to regroup and were ready to attack in minutes. But then they all lost their power and fell flat. The Gungans quickly noticed this and walked over to them. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that they all broke down. For them, this meant that the plan had worked and that Naboo's Allied Forces had won.

= place: Naboo system =

The Terran Star Navy ships kept their distance from the Trade Federation ships at all times. Of the original 15 battleships, 7 had already been destroyed and the rest were damaged. The fighter droids were constantly trying to break through the barrage of rockets, point defenses and drones. Admiral Dresher smiled at the sight. The enemy fleet was still unable to scratch its ships when its fleet, with the support of Naboo fighters, managed to destroy half of the Trade Federation ships and damage the rest. Although the drone losses were high, reaching 70%, this was perfectly acceptable considering that they were relatively cheap and human losses were minimal.

"Ma'am, the enemy flagship was destroyed by Naboo fighters." - said the tactical officer, to which the bridge began to celebrate.

"Ma'am, we are being called by one of the Federation ships." - the communications officer said.

"Connect" - Dresher said.

The screen showed an officer of the Trade Federation, who was in a deplorable state - "We give up, just please, stop shooting."

"Turn off your weapons and shields, and get ready to be boarded." -Dresher said - "We'll halt fire from your fleet and won't hurt you. But try to cheat me and they promise neither of you will come home."

The remaining 7 Trade Federation ships obeyed and soon fell under the control of the Terran Marines.

= place: Naboo Royal Palace =

The duel for Maul was much more exhausting than he had expected. This woman turned out to be a strong fighter, and her sword was made of metal that was resistant to his lightsaber. The fight had been going on for several minutes, and neither side was able to gain an advantage over the other. Eventually, Maul lured the warrior into the vicinity of one of the shafts, where their path was blocked by an energy barrier. Maul rethought his plan to deal with this surprisingly powerful enemy.

When the barrier fell, the warrior threw herself at him and the blows were exchanged quickly. However, Maul quickly changed his technique, pushing back the warrior's sword as she tried to swing over her head and hit her in the face with the hilt. This wavered her for a moment, and Maul tried to drive his sword into her stomach. However, he was surprised to find that his sword couldn't penetrate the armor. It was a moment of inattention that he greatly regretted, as Kayo had used this moment to attack Maul in the face, killing him on the spot.

= place: Naboo Capital City =

A great victory parade was held in the capital city of Naboo, a few days after the battle. The Gungan army marched through the city streets. The Royal Naboo Security Forces(RNSF) stood to attention in front of the sidewalk where crowds of people were celebrating their victory. Naboo fighters flew overhead, along with several Terran ships. The celebrations lasted until the evening. Upon their completion, a delegation of Naboo leaders, that is, Queen Amidala and Boss Rugor Nass met with Ambassador Goyle at the palace. After exchanging pleasantries, they went on to serious talks.

"Lady Ambassador." - said Padme - "I believe that due to recent events, we should negotiate some of our agreements."

"Misa says the Gungans should have more to say about Naboo." - Rugor said.

"I understand that." - Goyle said - "Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"Our trade agreements first." - Padme said - "Until now, most of our deals were with a Trade Federation, but now it's all back to us. We would like to confirm that our existing contracts will remain the same, but we know that you took over several ships during the battle. Because the Trade Federation is unlikely to ever pay us reparations, we would like to take them over."

"We can do it." - Goyle said - "We don't have much use for them anyway. Their systems are completely incompatible with ours, and many of them are badly damaged. Only 3 ships are operational."

"Then we would like to build a space station in orbit around the planet." - Padme said - "The 2 ships destroyed at the start of the battle are in one piece with only the core part damaged. I would like to contact several companies to create a station from these parts that would be a shopping mall, but would also have enough firepower to repel most attackers. However, our companies are not able to do this."

"Ours decided that yours would be the best to build such a station." - Rugor said.

"I think we should have companies willing to deal with it." - Goyle said.

"And most importantly, our defense forces." - Padme said.

"Ours is that the armed forces are insufficient to defend before the Trade Federation attacks again." - Rugor said - "Ours forms a common chain of command, but we lack a fleet and heavier vehicles. Ours wants to buy many of your ships if possible."

"The latter will depend on the parliament." - Goyle said.

"That's it for now, anyway." - Padme said - "I have yet to discuss the colonization of Ohm-D'un with my colleague."